Tchani Reacts To Buddle Suspension

By: Adam Jardy

The Columbus Dispatch - May 17, 2013 08:57 AM

For the second time this season, the MLS Disciplinary Committee has suspended a player for his
actions against the Crew the previous weekend. Today, the league announced that Colorado’s Edson
Buddle will serve a one-game suspension for his aggressive challenge against Crew midfielder Tony
Tchani.

Sporting an ice wrap in his right knee after today’s training session at the Crew’s facility in
Obetz, Tchani said he takes no satisfaction from the after-the-fact suspension.

“I’m not glad,” Tchani said. “I don’t want to see anybody get suspended. I’m pretty sure he
feels bad about what happened.”

Tchani said he got that message from Colorado’s Danny Mwanga, who talked with him after the
game.

“(Mwanga) told me that Edson Buddle got lucky he wasn’t sent off,” Tchani said. “I’m not happy
to see anyone get suspended because it could happen to me. You get into it and you fight so hard
and sometimes you just lose your mind. That’s why at times you just have to have better control of
yourself. I don’t mind if he gets suspended or not. I don’t really care.”

Buddle earned a yellow card for the play. Crew head coach Robert Warzycha said he felt it was
worthy of a red card.

“I think for me that was an easy call,” the coach said. “The referee was very close and
obviously he saw it a different way, but I’m glad that the committee reviewed it. It was a
no-brainer for me.”

After initially coming off the field for a moment, Tchani returned to the game and played the
full 90 minutes of the Crew’s 2-0 loss to the Rapids. He addressed the play with an official during
the match, he said.

Asked if he was initially disappointed Buddle did not receive a red card, Tchani said, “At that
moment I was disappointed. After I got tackled I checked my leg to see if I was OK. I was like, ‘
OK, I’m good,’ but I was saying to myself if my leg would have been broken would they have given
him a red card? Because it wasn’t the case he let it go.

“During the game I jogged by the referee and said, ‘Are you serious? That was a bad tackle.’ He
said, ‘Tony, I only have a yellow for that.’ I smiled. I wanted to say something but I smiled and
thought, ‘It’s not worth it. Just keep moving.’ ”

Tchani has not missed any time at training this week, Warzycha said.

Chicago midfielder Wells Thompson also earned a one-game suspension after only earning a yellow
card for his late challenge against the Crew’s Agustin Viana on April 20. Here’s that clip:
click here.

Image removedA photo showing Crew forward Ryan Finley breaking Toronto goalkeeper Stefan Frei’s nose
during a preseason match that was being used to promote this weekend’s game has been removed from
the Crew’s official Facebook page. According to a team spokesperson, the person who posted the
photo Monday was unaware that Frei’s nose was broken during the play.

The image was taken down Tuesday morning, but thanks to the wonders of the internets
you can view it here.